The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

Catherine Parr was the 6th wife of Henry VIII. This book particularly appealed to me since she has always been one of my favorite wives and I have visited her grave at Sudley twice. I was not disappointed with this rendition of her. 

The story of Henry and his wives is pretty well known by everyone so one would imagine that Ms. Gregory would not be breaking any new ground here. You would be wrong, in her usual manner by creating a dialogue between the main players she will open your mind to what it was really like to be at the court of Henry VIII and the sort of quicksand that his wives were always walking on. 

Henry came to the throne at the age of 17 having lost his mother when he was 12. His father had kept him very close since he was the only heir after his brother Arthur died. He was delighted to throw off this yoke and chart his own path. Unfortunately for everyone involved, he had never really been trained to be king and as a younger son had been greatly indulged and he never knew what it meant to not get exactly what he wanted. 

When you realize this, some of his future actions make more sense. He wanted a son, Katherine of Aragon couldn't give him a son who survived more than a few weeks, therefore it was her fault not his and she lost his love. And much as with Mr. Darcy "My good opinion once lost, is lost forever". This theme runs through this look. 

Jane Seymour was the perfect wife she gave Henry a son and then had the good sense to died before he tired of her. By the time Henry was looking for his sixth wife, he had killed two, divorced two and Jane had died. Catherine Parr had been married and widowed twice and Henry wanted her, it was really as simple as that. She had no say in the matter. 

The fact that after being married twice to please her family she preferred to marry someone of her own choosing was not taken into account. Marry the king she must. 

If you don't enjoy rather graphic sexual descriptions, then there are parts of this book that will offend. Leave it to your imagination how this grossly overweight man who had to be assisted to even walk could consummate his marriage to a woman half his age. Imagine a young woman having to submit, enough said. 

This was a book hard to put down once I started reading it. I already knew the story and the ending and even the high points but they were presented in such a captivating way that I just had to keep reading. 

If you don't know the story, you will find yourself rooting for the charming, pretty, bright woman who actually was the first woman to author a book in the English language. She was a woman who deserved so much more and we all hope eventually she finds it. 

Like with all of Philippa Gregory's books, this is historical fiction within a historic and well-researched background. It will leave you wanting to learn more about some of the figures you will meet like Anne Askew.